More

Spain Taxes Theater Tickets More Heavily Than Porn

BARCELONA — In 2012, Spain’s ruling party raised taxes on theater and movie tickets to 21 percent. The tax rate on magazines, including pornographic ones, is only 4 percent, Quartz reports.

According to the Guardian, a theater group called Primas de Riesgo has made the decision to start selling back issues of the pornographic magazine “Gente Libre.” A free ticket to the company’s current show is included in the transaction.

The skin mags are sourced from a collector and sell for about $20.

“It’s part economically rational act, and part public protest meant to highlight a law that seems pretty absurd,” Quartz’ Max Nisen writes. “The disparity in the tax doesn’t make much sense, and seems pretty easily circumvented — making it not just a culturally troublesome tax, but a poorly designed one at that.”

The theater group’s name translates to “risk premium,” in reference to the extra yield demanded by investors in Spanish bonds due to the country’s shortcomings as a trustworthy creditor.

The bond market has improved since 2012 when the group was started, and the country’s financial position is steadily improving.